Kelsea Ballerini Named Radio Disney’s Newest ‘Next Big Thing’

Radio Disney has officially named their ‘NBT’ featured artist: country star Kelsea Ballerini! At 22, the singer has taken country music by storm and is now being featured in the program that showcases young artist’s journeys as they turn their talents and dreams into careers.

HollywoodLife.com can exclusively confirm that the latest “NBT” honor goes to Kelsea Ballerini. The program is set to follow the singer through her US tour, and her first show in Australia. The videos of these will be featured nationally on Radio Disney, Disney Channel, the Radio Disney app, and RadioDisney.com!

We’re actually not that surprised that Kelsea has earned the honor. When she performed her song “Love Me Like You Mean It” having no idea how much of an impact it would make. “I’ve been dreaming about (having a No. 1) since I was 12, so it’s really exciting for me,” she said in an interview. “But more than that, being a female, on an independent label — and I wasn’t on a show or anything — it’s cool to break those stereotypes and do this not just for me, but for my label too.”

She preformed at the Radio Disney Music Awards at “Ardy’s Pre-Show Festival” in April, and then joined Taylor Swift on her 1989 World Tour in Nashville, which we all know is the ultimate honor. She was nominated at the CMT Awards, CMA Awards and the AMA Awards this year and received the “Rising Star” award at Billboard‘s 2015 Women in Music event. Stream music, completely unlimited and ad-free, RIGHT HERE